Root digs his heels in as critics take aim

Joe Root insists England are still “massively” in the Ashes series despite falling 2-0 behind with a 120-run defeat in the second Test.

England arrived on the final day at the Adelaide Oval with an outside chance of sustaining their revival in the inaugural pink-ball Ashes encounter.

But after conceding a 215-run first-innings deficit, even James Anderson’s maiden five-wicket haul in Australia and then a battling half-century from the England captain himself could not truly turn back the tide.

Root was unbeaten at stumps on the penultimate night, with 178 still needed and six wickets intact to pull off a national-record run chase of 354 to level the series.

Instead, he followed nightwatchman Chris Woakes back as Josh Hazlewood twice struck early and then Mitchell Starc (five for 88) was the enforcer who ensured England were bowled out for 233 well before tea.

Root and coach Trevor Bayliss are nonetheless in agreement that, even from 2-0 down with three to play, England can still retain the urn.

“It is obviously very disappointing now,” said the captain, who “strongly disagrees” with anyone currently predicting a second successive 5-0 whitewash defeat Down Under.

“I thought the way we responded both with ball and bat in the second innings was outstanding, especially the way we played last night in those conditions. I thought we showed a lot of character, which is what you want to see in big series like this.”

England’s problem, he concedes, is that they must sustain their best cricket for longer to win Tests, though he does not equate this winter’s struggle so far with the 5-0 defeat four years ago.

“The way we went about the second innings proved to everyone really we are still massively in this series,” Root added. “We have shown throughout the two games that for periods we can out-perform Australia, but just not for five days, and that is going to be our challenge.

“If we can get that right and perform to our ability for longer periods of time we will win games, simple as that.”

Bayliss, who anticipates fielding an unchanged team for the third Test in Perth, is also still talking a good game.

“We are certainly not going to give up and go home,” he said. “I think there are enough frailties in the Australian team that we can exploit that. They are certainly beatable.”